1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical connector for connecting an optical fiber and a light-receiving element or a light-emitting element together or for connecting optical fibers together in an automobile, an equipment or the like.
2. Background Art
For installing an optical fiber cord, for example, within an automobile, there are occasions when this installation must be effected in such a manner that the optical fiber cord, extending outwardly from an optical connector, is bent immediately after the optical connector because of an installation space or others.
When the optical fiber is abruptly bent, a light loss much increases.
Therefore, in a conventional construction, a rubber boot, bent into a predetermined bend radius, is attached to a rear side of an optical connector. An optical fiber cord is passed through the rubber boot, and is extended to the exterior so that the optical fiber cord will not be abruptly bent.
Here, the optical connector and the rubber boot are separate from each other in order that the rubber boot can be afterward attached to the optical connector after the optical fiber cord is inserted and held in the optical connector, and by doing so, the operation for inserting the optical fiber cord in the optical connector can be effected easily.
In the conventional construction, however, there has been a fear that the optical connector and the rubber boot become disengaged from each other during the use or in other cases since the two are separate from each other, and in this case there has been a fear that the optical fiber cord is abruptly bent.
And besides, the optical connector and the rubber boot are separate from each other, and therefore the number of the component parts increases, and the operation for combining them together is needed, which has invited a problem that the efficiency of the assembling operation is low.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an optical connector in which the operation for inserting an optical fiber cord can be effected easily, and the optical fiber cord can be positively prevented from being abruptly bent, and besides the number of the component parts can be reduced, and furthermore an excellent assembling efficiency can be achieved.
The above problems have been solved by an optical connector of the present invention which comprising a housing body portion for receiving and holding an end portion of an optical fiber cord, the housing body portion being adapted to be connected to a mating optical connector; and a bending guide portion of a generally arcuate shape which is formed integrally with the housing body portion, and can receive the optical fiber cord; wherein the bending guide portion has an inner peripheral bending limitation portion for contacting an inner peripheral portion of the optical fiber cord in a bent condition to limit a minimum value of a bend radius of the optical fiber cord, and at least part of the bending guide portion except the inner peripheral bending limitation portion is open.
According to the invention, an outer peripheral side of the bending guide portion may be open at least on a line of extension of a direction of inserting of the optical fiber cord in the housing body portion.
According to the invention, there may be adopted a construction in which the outer peripheral side of the bending guide portion is open on the line of extension of a direction of inserting of the optical fiber cord in the housing body portion, and is closed at a distal end portion of the bending guide portion.
According to the invention, there may be adopted a construction in which one of the outer peripheral side, one side and the other side of the bending guide portion is open over an entire length thereof in a peripheral direction thereof, and a holder member for holding the optical fiber cord in the bending guide portion is mounted at the distal end portion of the bending guide portion.